The National Boundary Commission (NBC) has praised the Anambra and Enugu state governments for their commitment in the amicable settlement of the boundary dispute between them.
The Director-General of NBC, Mr Adama Adaji, gave the commendation at a meeting with the officials of the two states and other stakeholders in Abuja.
He said that the maturity and willingness to resolve the dispute demonstrated by the two states as displayed by their deputy governors was exemplary for other states to follow.
“I will like to express my deep appreciation to the deputy governors of Anambra and Enugu for the maturity so far displayed in handling the land dispute matter.
“For us to make progress as a people, we need to reduce incidences of boundary disputes with a view to promoting peaceful relationship to engender more development in our communities,” he said.
He noted that the Anambra and Enugu interstate boundary was approximately 135km in length, adding that the NBC and the two states had carried out several activities to define the boundary over the years.
Adaji said some of the boundary issues were caused by the activities of land grabbers, adding that border communities should be weary of such people.
Anambra Deputy Governor, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, in a speech, appreciated the efforts of the NBC in resolving the boundary issues between the two states.
He described Anambra and Enugu people as brothers and sister, saying “as people in the same state before state creation divided us, there should be no sharp divide between us.”
Mr Ifeanyi Ossai, Enugu Deputy Governor, on his part, said the boundary issues between the two would not take plenty of time to resolve due to some obvious factors.
Ossai regretted that while other countries are taking advantage of technology to drive development and resolve land related issues, states in Nigeria are busy talking about boundary disputes.
“We must adopt new approaches to resolving boundary disputes because that is a better way to promote peace as nothing could be achieved in an atmosphere of rancour,’’ he said.
Ossai noted with regrets that both states were spending huge resources coming to Abuja for an issue that could be resolved back home in Enugu or Anambra.
The meeting was attended by officials from the Office of the Surveyor of the Federation, NBC, traditional rulers, local government chairmen and other relevant stakeholders from the two states. (NAN)